Arrow Lakes

The Arrow Lakes in British Cowumbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of de Cowumbia River. The wakes are situated between de Sewkirk Mountains to de east and de Monashee Mountains to de west. Beachwand is fairwy rare, and is interspersed wif rocky headwands and steep cwiffs. Mountain sides are heaviwy forested, and rise sharpwy to ewevations around 2,600 metres.

Upper Arrow Lake, British Cowumbia

Originawwy two wakes 14 miwes apart, de Arrow Lakes became one 230 km wong wake due to de reservoir created by de 1960s construction of de Keenweyside Dam; at wow water de two wakes remain distinct, connected by a fast-moving section known as de Narrows.[1][2] Damming de Lower Arrow Lake resuwted in water rising 12 metres above naturaw wevews. As a resuwt of higher water, de vawwey wost 2/3 of its arabwe wand. Thousands of peopwe rewocated.[3] The wake stretches from just norf of Castwegar in de souf to Revewstoke in de norf. Anoder hydroewectric devewopment Whatshan Dam, diverted Whatshan Lake from de Whatshan River directwy into de Arrow Lakes, just norf of de Needwes-Fauqwier Ferry.

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The name Arrow Lakes, dough in wide use, is unofficiaw;[5] de gazetted names are for Upper Arrow Lake[6] and Lower Arrow Lake,[7] and BC Hydro refers to dem togeder as de Arrow Lakes Reservoir. The origin of de name was a cuwturaw feature known as Arrow Rock on de east shore of Lower Arrow Lake, about 35 km upstream from Castwegar, opposite de community of Renata, a warge rock outcrop or overhang above de water, in de face of which was a howe fiwwed wif arrows. Different stories surround de meaning of de arrows, said to be shot dere by de Lakes peopwe (Sinixt) for good wuck, eider before or after war:

On October 19, 1826, whiwe travewwing souf between Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes, Simpson passed "...The Arrow Rock, so named on account of a round howe in de face fuww of Arrows, said to have been fired at it by de Indians when practicing de Bow and Arrow before a war excursion, uh-hah-hah-hah." (Journaw of Emiwius Simpson; HBC Archives' accession B223/a/3 1826 Fowio 39D-41) Source: incwuded wif note

"On our passage up de Cowumbia to de Boat Encampment, de Brigade had a speww and a smoke at dis pwace. I recowwect de boats were right under a high & perpendicuwar waww of rock, and de arrows were embedded in howes or howwows some 30 or 40 feet above us in de boat. Mr. Duncan Finwayson asked me in chinook if I wanted de arrows. I towd him yes; he took up his shot gun & fired, bringing a number of dem down broken, uh-hah-hah-hah. [The arrows] were picked up by de men and given to me but before doing so I remember dey were cwosewy examined.....being owd voyageurs and men of Experience in Indian Arrows, dey took great interest to Endeavor to sowve de qwestion by what tribe or nation were dose arrows made. They examined de kind of wood, de cut of de feaders & even de denew, de number of turns it took to secure de feaders, but experts as dey were dey had to give it up - dey couwd not sowve it satisfactoriwy. I recowwect dere was someding said of a warge war party of Lake Indians or Upper Cowumbia River Indians invading de Kutanays or Mountaneirs. They had defeated de Mountaneirs and had captured a warge qwantity of arrows & having no furder need of dem expended dem in dose howes to commemorate de action, uh-hah-hah-hah. I am sure de spot is at de Lower Lake. I have made severaw enqwiries of miners, boat-men and oders, and strange to say not one of dem ever saw...[de arrows]. I den began to dink dat I was mistaken, however qwestioned Big head Edward de chief of de Lake Indians. He towd me dere was such a pwace, but not speaking [his] wanguage I couwd get no furder information, uh-hah-hah-hah." (wetter from Ranawd Macdonawd to Mawcowm McLeod, 29 December 1890, hewd in Provinciaw Archives [accession detaiws not cited on BC name card] ) Source: incwuded wif note

In de days before Cowumbus was born, de 'Indians' of de west and east Kootenay were at continuaw strife. It was customary for de west Kootenay Indians to winter awong de soudern Cowumbia and to ascend de stream every summer, to de wakes where hunting was good. As de tribes in de Swocan were awways on de awert for war, dey had deir scouts out on de Arrow Lakes to note when deir enemies came up de river. One summer de scouts returned from de [Arrow] Lakes wif news dat a particuwarwy warge force of warriors were going up de river. So de Swocan tribes prepared for war and crossed de mountains in force to Nakusp. On embarking from deir canoes at Nakusp (de bay behind de wong point) dey noticed signs of a great storm having passed. On proceeding up de wake for some distance dey came upon de force of de enemy. But awas ! There were none to resist dem, for de great storm had apparentwy come suddenwy upon dem and dere was noding weft but a heaving mass of canoe wreckage and dead bodies. The Swocan Indians took dis as a great favour from de great 'Manatoo', and in token of respect dey fired aww deir arrows at de high rock off which dey way, and wrote inscriptions on de face of de rock. Because of de vast weawf of arrow heads dat feww to de bottom of de wake dat day, de Indians named it Arrow Lake. (Rewayed by Richard Bwyf, as towd to him by Chief Louis Joseph, Burton, uh-hah-hah-hah.) Source: BC pwace name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographicaw Names Office.[5]